LIMITING THE NAVIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18707, 13 May 1924, Page 9

LIMITING THE NAVIES

JAPANESE INTENTIONS. : ——— — ' , i READY FOR CONFERENCE. ' TOKIO. May 1. Should President Coolidge accept the , authorisation of the. United States Senate and call , a second naval disarmament '.conJ ference,' ho will find Japan ready to agree wholeheartedly, according to statements made by the Navy DepartmentJapanese naval authorities are already agreed that naval limitation is almost meaningless, unless the scrapping of capital ships is . followed by the scrapping of auxiliary ships and the restriction of land armaments. . >. •>-. Summarised, a high official's views, expressed unofficially, are .as tollow: — Auxiliary vessels . require from six months to a year to build. It is a matter of comparative ease for .a Power possessing great plants to build them, and therefore such a Power, has a predominating advantage over lesser Powers, so long, as auxiliary ships are not restricted. Japan, like France and Italy, has few building facilities, arid would, therefore, welcome a suggestion for a second conference, especially as England and Germany have* already expressed their approval in advance.. = - - ./■ '. It is expected that France and l(g,ly } will oppose ; the : idea of restriction of land forces, and also the submarine ratio/ while i it is next to ;J impossible to , limit aircraft " • owing'; to the difficulty ;of differentiating . . between war and commercial machines. Japan ;• is. hopeful ; that s-i limitation of .' auxiliaries infill be. possible,, but is ; less > hopeful about land armaments, underwater vessels,, and aircraft. She ; is, how-; ever,- willing to join other Powers for complete limitation. t :•